Silent Whispers
by kaska245
Summary: A girl runs away from Harad with hopes of making it to Rohan and living out the rest of the war in the forest. Her plan spoiled by the lack of food and loss of direction, she begins her real journey when she meets new companions in the forest.
1. Chapter 1

She didn't think that running would be so hard. She had run out of food a week earlier, even though she had enough rationed out for her to make it to Rohan. Her food shortage was the first sign that she was lost. She was no ranger and she was panicked. The darkness of her skin would be a dead giveaway as to where she was from, but luckily she had yet to come across any men, or orcs for that matter. Her avoidance of the public was going to have to come to an end soon though, she was starving and lost. It was a stupid attempt, she thought, she knew she would never make it. She thought that once she got to Rohan she would able to hide in the woods for a while and hunt deer, it appeared that it would not happen that way. She collapsed by a nearby try to rest for a while, thinking that once she got a few hours of sleep she would be able to continue her journey.

After what seemed like only a few moments she awoke with a start to rustling in the bushes. She grabbed her dagger from her thigh and stood up quickly, but as she rose she hit her head on a low tree branch. She shrieked in pain and fell to the ground, dropping her blade while she clutched her head. The loud noise caused the movement in the bushes to become more aggressive and then it stopped. As she lay on the ground, feeling the wave of unconsciousness come upon her, she heard footsteps stop next to her. Quiet whispers in a language that she could not understand, or maybe she could understand and she was just too dazed to do so, met her ears.

'_Beautiful'_ she thought before finally falling unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Soft, the softest thing she had probably ever felt. That's what she sensed underneath her fingers. On her face she could feel the warm rays of the sun beaming down on her and she smiled contently. When she was back at her home she didn't get much sun, she was always working in the mines getting the bet iron ore to make the best weapons. Opening her eyes slowly, she squinted at the amount of light that was in the room, it caused her eyes to water a bit. Her chocolate eyes wondered around the room in curiosity, "Where am I?" she said out loud.

"You are in the house of Elrond, young one" a melodious voice called from behind her to jump in surprise. She placed a hand over her chest in a futile attempt to calm her rapidly beating heart. She looked towards the door where the voice had come from and felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Before her there was a beautiful woman with long brown hair and ice blue eyes. She took in her total appearance and looked to her ears and saw that she was an elf. Heat flooded to her cheeks and she put her hands over them to hide her slight blush. Then she realized that she must have looked a mess and began to smooth her hair and smooth over her wrinkled dress. At her panic the elf at the door chuckled and gracefully walked over to her.

"There is no reason to panic; I know where you have been." The beautiful elf smiled warmly at her and said "Come let's get you to the baths."

The young girl stood up and blushed slightly as she looked down, then she raised her eyes slightly to meet those of the elves. "Can I ask your name, my lady?"

The elleth smiles sweetly again and replies "My name is Arwen. May I ask yours?"

"It's Rumia."

"What a pretty name" Arwen smiled. "Come, Rumia, let's get you a bath."

The elf gently grabs the young Haradim girl and pulls her quickly down the hall. As they past many rooms and windows, Rumia took time to notice how beautiful everything was. Like the war had not touched this place. It was like still water, untouched and untainted. Yet Rumia did notice how empty it was. It seemed that all of the life and feelings of home have all been taken away from it. It was sad, Rumia thought, that such a beautiful place is almost abandoned.

"Here we are."

Rumia looked at the beautifully carved door way that was covered in carvings of leaves and flowers.

"In here are the baths, I'll come by a bit later with a dress." Arwen turned to Rumia and smiled "When you are finished I shall take you to father. I'm sure he would like to meet his newest guest." With an elegant nod of her head Arwen left the confused girl in front of the bath house.

Once inside Rumia undressed and slipped into the warm waters. They were soothing against her aching skin. Steam rose and cleared her nostrils and she felt more relaxed than she had been in the past two years. She dipped her head underneath the water to rinse her matted light brown hair and then she proceeded to wash it, getting all of the dirt and grime out of it. She smiled and swam around in the large bath and giggled to herself, she hadn't had this much fun since she was a child. That thought cause her to pause for a moment. She did not tell her mother that she was leaving, in fact she hadn't told anyone. She didn't think it would be wise to tell anyone either, someone would have been sure to tell the enforcer of her village. He took over the work fields of her village when they decided to side with the dark lord. If that had happened she wouldn't have made it three yards away from her village. You were only valuable as long as you served the purpose of benefiting the dark lord, that's what the enforcer said when he first arrived. She had been valuable because she came from a family of iron workers and she was good at finding and making the best iron works.

"Are you having fun, Rumia?"

Rumia jumped and pushed the top half of her body underneath the water. When she felt that she was sufficiently covered she turned to face the voice of the elf who called her. "It seems that you always sneak up on me, Lady Arwen" Rumia said with a slight smile.

Arwen smiled gently, "I am sorry, I shall try and make my presence more known to you." Arwen turned her head and motioned behind her. It was only then that Rumia noticed, what appeared to be a young elven woman behind her. She had long waist length light brown hair and bright hazel eyes. When Rumia's eyes and the new elf's met the elven maiden quickly diverted her eyes. Rumia arched an eyebrow in return and then moved her gaze to the bundle that the new elf held in her arms.

"Lady Arwen, what is that?" she questioned.

"This is the dress for you. I figured you did not want to walk around in yours, it _is _so tattered after all."

Rumia blinked confused, she knew that her dress had been dirty but she didn't know that there had been rips in it. She probably was so dehydrated that she had not noticed it. "I see," she started "thank you Lady Arwen."

Arwen smiled, "There is no need to thank me Vanya here is the one who made it."

Vanya curtsied but still did not meet Rumia's eyes. Rumia was confused but brushed it off of as Vanya placed the dress in front of her.

"When you are finished bathing please meet us at the main entrance to the baths and from there I will take you to meet my father."

Rumia nodded in acknowledgement to Arwen and watched as the two elves left her in silence. She picked up the bodice of the dress and sighed as she felt the softness of it. She closed her eyes and relished the soft feeling. _'Even if this peace doesn't last for long I wish to enjoy it as much as possible.'_


	3. Chapter 3

"My Lady you are sure it is safe for her to be here?" Vanya started as she looked for an appropriate dress for their new guest. "Isn't possible that she could be a spy for the enemy," she continued as she pulled a dress form the closet.

Arwen studied the dress for a moment before nodding her head in approval, "I told you earlier Vanya that this was the reason that father has asked to see her."

"But if she is a spy she shouldn't be aloud near Lord Elrond, isn't there someone else who can question her?" Vanya continued her worried questioning as she folded the dress. She followed Arwen as she beckoned her down the halls towards the baths.

"What if she was not a spy, Vanya? What if she was truly lost as my brothers seem to think?" Arwen questioned the young handmaiden, who didn't have a response to that question and so she quieted herself. In response to the silence Arwen continued, "From what I have seen of her she is nothing more than a child. A child who will probably be judged because of the side that her people decided to take, it is not fair to judge her for their faults."

Vanya nodded and the pair continued to walk in silence.

xxx

Rumia slipped on the dress and sighed at the feeling that it had against her skin. The dress was an adorable baby blue color and felt light as air compared to her own dresses; they were always made thick to absorb any liquids that were to fall on her. She spun in her new dress whimsically and giggled to herself childishly. She abruptly stopped when she heard a knock on the door. Embarrassment washed over her as she remembered she was to come out of the baths to meet Lady Arwen and Vanya. She pushed her long slightly curly hair over to one shoulder and took a deep breath. This time she wouldn't make a fool of herself in front on Lady Arwen.

Sighing deeply she opened the double doors that lead out to the hallway. She peeked out the side of one of the door and saw Lady Arwen and Vanya sitting on a low rising wall. Arwen seemed to catch the glimpse of Rumia out of the corner of her eye because she smiled and called her over. As she hurried over the two elves stood. Both of their eyes scrutinized the form of the Haradim girl. Arwen nodded her head in approval and smiled. Vanya gave a cursory glance before turning her eyes away once again.

The elves started on a slow pace down another hall. Rumia felt this was to give her another chance to absorb her surroundings. Then the thought struck her, she still had not confirmed where she was. She did have a good idea as to her location however, she had heard of Lord Elrond before when talking to her cousin. His grandfather was a traveler and would tell him stories about the places he had been and in turn her cousin would tell the stories to her. "Excuse me Lady Arwen." She started getting the elven maiden's attention. "Is this Rivendell?" she questioned. Arwen smiled and with a nod of her head Rumia new where she was. "May I ask another question then?"

"Lady Arwen's breath is wasted on your ignorance!" Vanya started, her voice was elevated but still had the lovely tone that the eleven folk retained. "She has already told you that your questions will be answered when we reach Lord Elrond's study. For now quiet your tongue, snake!"

Stunned Rumia and Arwen came to a halt and Vanya halted not five paces in front of them. She held a milky white hand over her mouth and looked with wide eyes and her Lady Arwen too had a stunned look on her face and opened her mouth to respond yet no words had would come. Rumia bit her bottom lip and looked down. All of the women stood for a moment in silence and when Arwen went to break it a pair of male voices beat her to it.

"It seems that someone has stolen the voices of all these ladies, do you not agree brother?"

"It does seem that way brother. Perhaps rudeness is what woos the women these days."

Rumia turned to look at the voices and felt heat run to her cheeks at the sight of the two forms that headed toward her. Long dark brown hair framed both of the male's heads and they both had a pair of matching gray blue eyes. It was evident that they were twins but they had to be the most beautiful people that she had even seen in her life. One had a smile while the other wore a smirk but the mischievousness in their eyes was clearly evident.

"Brothers," breathed Arwen finally finding her voice. The tone of her voice showed that she was full of relief at the sight of them. She calmed her flustered self and smiled gently. "Would you mind taking our guest, Rumia, to meet father?" Arwen's gaze flickered from her brothers to Rumia then towards Vanya and back to her brothers again. "It seems that Vanya and I have a few details to work on in Rumia's room and I do not think that we will have time to complete both tasks."

The twins let their eyes roam from Rumia to the elven hand maiden who refused to meet their gazes in embarrassment before looking at their younger sister. "Of course." Started one, "we would be glad too." finished the other.

Arwen nodded in thanks and bowed her head in a quick good bye and beckoned Vanya with a movement of her eyes, who curtsied toward the brothers and cast a quick glare towards the Haradim girl.

Rumia looked down the hallway where Lady Arwen had disappeared into. She suddenly felt alone, when she first awoke she did feel uncomfortable under Lady Arwen's gaze but in just a short time she felt like Arwen would probably be her only friend her. Now alone with two males whom she had never meet made her feel alone and awkward.

"Hello?"

"Are you okay?"

The voices startled her and she turned around slowly. She looked at the brothers again and quickly looked down as she felt the overwhelming heat rush to her face. They chuckled deeply and she could feel herself becoming even more flustered, did other people feel like this when they were in the presence of elves or was it just her?

"There is no need to be nervous, Elrohir and I did find you in the woods."

At this she looked up quickly and stared wide eyed at the elves. "You are the ones who found me?"

"Ah! She speaks!" exclaimed the one to the left who, based on the name that the other had said, was Elrohir. His exclamation caused a chuckle to spill from not only his brother's lips but hers as well. "Did you hear that, Elladan? I got her to laugh as well."

"I did brother," replied Elladan, "It appears that, Vanya was the one who was being unkind then, was she not?"

Rumia cast her gaze away from them but nodded in affirmation. They both made a noise of disapproval and shook their heads. "Vanya is always like that, now that I think about it." Started Elladan, he smiled down at the young girl before he offered her his arm, which she looked at skeptically but finally took.

Elrohir also offered her his arm and she took it, this time without hesitation, at this he winked slyly at is brother. "I think she fancies our sister," he chuckled shaking his head. Elladan started them on a brisk pace before shaking his head.

"It's more like she adores her and father," he started. "It's a little scary now that I think about it, but it does make sense, does it not brother?"

"That it does," Elrohir answered her turned his gaze towards Rumia. "She wouldn't let me see my father once when I came back from a hunting trip. She said I would make him ill. Can you imagine an Elf becoming ill?" Rumia shook her head. "See, that's what I told her and she glared at me the whole time that I spoke to him. She's a scary one."

After that particular story Rumia let herself withdraw from the conversation and watched as the brothers spoke with each other about memories of the disgruntled maid. Rumia let a smile grace her lips. She missed her family in particularly her brother. They were able connect the same way that these elves were.

"Oh, look we have arrived." Elrohir started. Rumia snapped to attention and sure enough she saw that they had come to the hallway that seemed so endless when she was with Arwen and Vanya. In front of her was another large wooden door with carvings on it of various birds and flowers and writing that she couldn't understand.

"Just knock and father should open," Elladan said. Rumia's eyes bulged as she looked between the brothers. She hadn't noticed that they had dropped her arms and stood about two or three paces behind her.

"You are leaving me?" she asked.

They chuckled in unison before nodding their heads. "Unfortunately we have other duties to attend to right now," started Elrohir.

"But I am sure that we will see you a dinner," finished Elladan. They backed away from her smiling and bowed slightly in a gesture of saying good bye. They turned around and she watched as they retreated down the hall. Turning around to face the door she took a deep breath and knocked.


	4. Chapter 4

It was intimidating just to be in front of that door, but when it opened and the light poured from it Rumia felt like she couldn't breathe. She slowly walked inside and saw a desk and stacks upon stacks of books. The large carved window gave the room and open feeling but also made it fell like this structure was natural. She looked around the room but did not see the one called Lord Elrond; in fact she didn't see anyone at all.

She decided that he was not in his office and looked around. His study was more like a library with its shelves upon shelves of books. She first started to wonder who would have time to read all of these books then remembered that elves are granted the gift of immortality. She ran her gleaming chocolate eyes over the numerous amounts of books. She had never seen so many in her life. Back in her village there was a small book store but none of the books contained the vast amount of knowledge that she knew that these books held. She continued her walk down the long tall aisles of books. She eventually found herself lost in the maze of books. She sat down on a nearby wooden chair and picked up a book. She didn't bother to read the title she just opened it to the first page. She was able to tell from the table of contents and with her minimal reading skills, that it was a children's book. She was delighted that it was in common tongue and she wanted to read it but as she went to turn to the first story she stopped. She remembered what she had originally come here for and that was to speak to the Lord Elrond. Rumia brought her index finger to her lip and nibbled slightly on her nail. She had not seen any signs of life, aside from plants, in the study and she figured that he was not here yet. _'When he returns he will surely be able to hear me, then we can have our conversation.' _ With strengthened resolve, Rumia looked at the first page of the book and began trying to comprehend the words on the leaf.

Xxx

The Lord Elrond waited patiently for the human girl to arrive in his study. It had been three days since his sons first found her. When they brought the girl to him, he could not say that he had not been surprised. It had been generations since he had seen someone from Harad let alone had one in his home. His surprise was quickly pushed to the back of his mind when he assessed her condition; the girl was clearly dehydrated and starving. Her breathing was shallow and she had a large knot on her head. He started to think that she had been beaten, but was quickly dissuaded of that thought when Elrohir told him that they had seen her hit her head on a branch.

When he first started to treat her, his sons would not leave the room, insisting that they had been the ones to cause her harm and wanted to help. When he explained to them that her injuries were not external they quickly left, feeling much less guilty then they did. In the midst of treating her he did find other scares, whose patterns concerned him greatly. That was one of the things that he wished to speak to her about. He did not expect her to just come out and honestly answer every question, everyone would be defensive about their past, especially a human.

Elrond sighed as he walked over to the window. The sun was almost set, and he was beginning to become irritated. It had been almost four hours since Arwen told him that she had awoken. Where could she be? Perhaps she had been left to find her own way through the halls of Imladris? As soon as the thought came he shook his head and almost chuckled to himself, Arwen would never abandon their guest. Then another thought came to him was that his sons got to her and had distracted her from her destination, which seemed more likely. His eyebrow almost twitched in annoyance at that thought. Elrond sighed and shook his head in annoyance. He decided he would go to the library and pass the time until the girl arrived.

Xxx

A slam of the door startled Rumia from her slow reading pace. She had been able to get to the middle of the second page in two hours, it was a new record for her and she was proud of it. The direction of the noise was different than the direction of the door that she came from. She stood, and held the book to her chest. She started to walk down the aisle and became confused; she couldn't remember which way she came from. Sighing she leaned upon a wall and waited. Whoever made that noise was bound to find her. She closed her eyes and sighed as the cool touch of the wall was a different, but welcomed feeling from the chair that she had been sitting in.

"Oh, there you are." A calm deep voice called from the left of her. She smiled to herself; she hadn't jumped when she was startled. Then she started to feel the red creep up on her cheeks when she realized she was smiling like a fool in front of this person. She slowly opened her chocolate eyes and immediately looked down when she met the eyes of the elf in front of her. He was tall and had a commanding presence and she knew immediately that this was Lord Elrond. She could see in his eyes that there was a kind but stern attitude that he maintained. She examined him more closely and could see that he had the same dark brown hair that Arwen and the twins had. She could also see that while she was observing him he was also looking her over with scrutinizing eyes.

"You seem much better than when I first saw you," he started before a small smile came to his face "but I suppose as long as you are awake you would look better, no?"

Rumia blinked, bewildered, "I don't understand what you mean sir."

"I am the one who healed you when you first arrived here." He started again as he beckoned her with his eyes to follow him. Rumia quickly followed without any hesitation, she felt extremely comfortable in his presence no matter how stern he looked, and he reminded her of her father, before he changed. "My sons were quite worried when they found you, and I was as well when they brought you to me."

He led them to a door which appeared to be at the back of the room and opened it. Desks and chairs along with scattered papers filled this room. Maps were pinned to the walls and ink covered paper laid on various shelves and some were scattered on the floor. Rumia gasped, "So _this _is your study."

Elrond arched an eyebrow, "Well yes it is, where else did you think it was?"

Rumia looked down and sighed as she felt another blush run up her cheeks, "I thought the room that we were in before was the study. I just assumed because Elrohir and Elladan said just to go right in."

He shook his head and said, "No child that was the library. You'll have to forgive my sons, sometimes they forget that guests do not know where everything is." He pulled a chair out in front of his desk and motioned for the girl to sit. She did and watched as he sat in the chair behind the desk. They sat in silence for a moment longer than she would have liked while he moved some papers from his desk. She tried to look away from him but she kept finding herself looking at the elf lord.

Finally, Rumia decided to break the uncomfortable silence, "Lord Elrond may I ask you a question?"

Never moving his eyes from his paper work the elfin lord replied, "Of course, go ahead."

"I heard that Rivendell was full of life and that many elves lived here." She started carefully as she tried to choose the proper words so she wouldn't offend him, "Yet the only elves that I have seen are you, Vanya, Lady Arwen, and Elrohir and Elladan. Where have they all gone?"

Elrond stopped and looked at the young girl, looking at her now she felt looked even younger to him now than she did before. "Do you truly not know the extent to which the enemy's power has reached?" The girls eyes seemed to widened at this and shook her head seemingly ashamed at her lack of knowledge. "At the moment there are many who are out on patrol. And there are many more that have left this land for the Undying Lands."

Rumia's eyes widened as she realized the plan she set out from home with, would not have helped her. If Sauron's arm had extended this far then surely no place was safe.

"Now may I ask you a question, child?"

"Of course." Replied the girl, "Ask me anything that you want to know."

"How did you get those scares on your back?"


	5. Chapter 5

She looked down; she knew that this conversation would eventually happen. She would have to explain why she ran in the first place. She sighed and looked back into Elrond's eyes. She smiled weakly and looked down once again. She licked her lips before she started talking. "My father gave them to me." She said quietly, ashamed.

"Your father?" Elrond asked in alarm, he had seen and heard stories of abuse but he didn't think a sweet girl like this one would be one to experience this type of pain. "Why would he do such a thing to you?"

She looked away from him; he could see that she had a far off look in her eyes, like she was remembering the distant past. "He actually saved me," she started with a small smile on her face. "The overseer would probably have done worse."

"An overseer?"

"Yes. I work- well worked- in the mines of my village. I was tasked with finding the best iron ore and turning it into weapons, swords in particular." The wistful looked returned to her eye, "I miss my family, now that I think about it."

"Would you like to tell me about them?" His voice was soothing like he was trying to coax her to be more comfortable with him than she already was.

"Of course!" she said smiling.

Xxx

_Father and mother were arranged to marry. It was really common in my village. They both came from families that were in the iron working business. So when the armies started increasing it was understandable why my family was summoned to help make weapons._

_I had three brothers, triplets. They were all very protective of me and my younger sister, but they were killed when they refused to make weapons. They were very much against Sauron and they talked to the man that was sent to recruit us. This man eventually became the overseer. I didn't like him. He sold us out to save his own skin. _

_When my brothers went to see him, they politely refused the offer to work for him. He became angry and had them out in a cell for a night; he thought that he would be able to change their minds that way. He didn't know my brothers though; they were stubborn and stuck in their own ways. They screamed and shouted all night. They did not let any of the guards get any peace and quiet._

_The next morning they were brought back to the overseer's office and there he tried to convince them to work with him again. They refused. He offered them jewels and women and they still refused. He threatened to come and kill mother, father, and I but they still refused. _

_He returned them to us the next day but it was a short lived reunion because the day after we were all taken from our home. They took my parents and I and we were made to kneel down in front of the gallows. We watched as my brothers were hung._

_The village was silently outraged; or rather that is what I choose to believe because no one said anything in complaint. The overseer said that this is what would happen when people would refuse his and Lord Sauron's kindness._

Xxx

She did not know why she had divulged so much information to Lord Elrond, and such sad information at that. She knew that when he asked to hear about her family he expected to hear about happier times or about how she received her scares, but that memory burst forth from her before she could stop herself. And it felt almost cathartic to tell her story to him.

She met his eyes again and saw that he was giving her a sympathetic look.

"Please do not feel sorry for me. It was a long time ago." She said as she smiled, "And besides, in this life we cannot afford to dwell on the past. I realize that."

"You are wise to be so young." Lord Elrond said as he smiled almost fondly at her. "But you are also very sly. Did think that I would not notice that you had not told me the story that I had wished to hear?"

She cast her eyes off to the side, "It was not my intention to seem sly, my Lord."

"No, I know that it was not. And I also know that your scars are not something that you wish to discuss right now."

She nodded her head at his statement. Perhaps that was why that story had come to her mind instead of the one about her scars. Her subconscious knew that she was not comfortable explain to him about her own physical suffering.

"Perhaps with time we can have this conversation again?" He asked as he watched her face. Different emotions ran across it and he could tell that she was thinking about his request.

"Of course Lord Elrond." She finally responded.

"Wonderful. For now we should switch our topic of conversation." He looked her in her eyes and she felt the atmosphere of the room seem to change in an instant. "Why have you come to Rivendell?"

Rumia blinked a little startled by the sudden change in the tone of voice that he used but she answered his question anyway, "It was not my intention to come to Rivendell."

He arched an eyebrow, "Then what was your intended destination?"

"Rohan, my Lord."

He raised an eyebrow surprised. "You are a ways from Rohan young one."

Rumia felt her cheeks flush, "Well, shortly into my journey discovered that I was not very good at determining directions, my Lord."

"It seems that way."

She felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she flushed embarrassed. "When I leave I'll bring a map."

"You plan to leave already?"

She looked at the elven Lord in front of her. That was not the answer that she was expecting, but she felt happy that she was not going to be forced out. She did not know how he would feel about her staying especially after the way that Vanya treated her earlier. She had assumed that she probably wouldn't be welcomed, that Lord Elrond's children were just being kind to her because they were forced to.

"Well if it is possible, I would like to stay." She looked down, "I do not have a home to return to and I am afraid even if I was to venture out with a map that I would still get lost."

Elrond smiled at the young girl, "It would probably be best that you stay here anyway. It is not safe for anyone; let alone a young girl such as yourself, to be travelling by themselves."

She smiled widely, "Thank you so much, Lord Elrond."

"You are welcome child." She watched as he stood, ever graceful, and beckoned her to stand next to him. He offered her his arm and together they exited his study and down the hall.

"Where are we going Lord Elrond?" She questioned as she observed he familiar architecture.

"I am sure you're famished, so I will bring you to the dining hall so you can feed yourself."

"Oh," she said looking down the hallway. "Will Lady Arwen be there?"

"She might be. She tends to go where the wind takes her." He looked at me and asked, "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I wanted to thank her for being so kind to me." She said with a slight smile on her face.

Xxx

When they arrived to the dining hall, Rumia saw the most activity that she had seen the entire time that she had been there. There were about twenty or so elves siting and eating and even more standing, but all were talking and socializing.

"Lord Elrond!" One of the voices called and the lively atmosphere seemed to stop for a moment as the regal elves greeted their Lord, but Rumia could not help but feel the eyes of the beautiful creature's eyes scrutinizing her.

"Father!" She heard two booming voices call. And she saw the beautiful elves that she met earlier in the hall coming up to them. She dropped Lord Elrond's arm and felt her breathing hitch.

The elven lord noticed her strange behavior and arched an eyebrow skeptically.

She watched as the twins greeted their father and talked animatedly with him. She watched them for a while before she turned her attention back to the full dining room. She looked for Lady Arwen but she did not see her, but she did see the familiar face of Vanya. Vanya stood close to a wall and had a wine filled goblet in her hand. She was chatting with a tall blond haired elven man. Vanya's eyes caught hers and Rumia timidly smiled at the elven maiden who scowled at her in return. Rumia looked down and sighed in defeat.

"Is the kitten still trying to befriend the dragon?" A teasing voice asked her.

She turned and saw the twins standing there and Lord Elrond nowhere in sight.

"I suppose it is useless. She will not ever like me will she?" Rumia asked them dejectedly.

Elladan put his hand on her shoulder and smiled softly at her, "It is not you, that is something that I can promise you. Vanya is like that everyone at first. And you should not be so quick to give up; it is only your first day here."

Elrohir nodded in agreement, "Do not be put off by her. And you should realize that because of your heritage you are going to seem suspicious to a lot of people." He frowned when he saw her shoulders slump. "But once they talk to you they will certainly realize that there is no way that a kitten like you could be anything dangerous."

"Kitten?" she questioned as she felt her cheeks flush once again. Elrohir threw her a wink and Elladan smirked.

They each latched onto one of her arms and started to guide her to the table.

"Come brother let us show the lost kitten to the feast." Elladan said with a smiled on his face.

"What kinds of foods do kittens enjoy?" Elrohir questioned his brother as they drew closer to the table.

Rumia felt her heart beating loudly. She swallowed thickly when she saw multiple eyes on the three of them. She did not enjoy the attention, but she did enjoy talking to the twins, or rather, listening to their conversations, so for now, she would have to deal with the stares.

Elladan pulled a chair out for her and let her sit down before he and his brother took a seat on either side of her.

"I heard a tale that they were partial to milk, but that you should never assume." He said looking at her.

"Aye brother, I have heard the same. So what say you that we ask the kitten what she would like to eat?" Elrohir stated as he too stared intently at her.

"I like chicken." She said quietly.

"Say no more, I shall fetch the fowl you desire while also filling your plate with sides that I am sure that you would enjoy." Elrohir said as he stood. "Brother, do be sure to keep watch over her."

"Of course brother and good look on your quest." Elladan said before he locked eyes again with Rumia. He smiled and she could not help but to smile back at him, he had a gorgeous smile.

"So, how was your talk with my father?"

"Oh, it was very nice." She said thinking over their conversation. "But I was nervous. When I first went inside I had got lost, and then when I finally did meet with him I was more than a little intimidated."

He chuckled, "Yes father can be that way, but he can be nice when he wishes it. I remember once when we were younger…"

He was talking, but Rumia was not listening, she was watching the way his eyes smiled when he spoke and the joy that lit up his face as he recounted his memory. She sighed inwardly and felt herself get lost at the sound of her voice.

"He is gorgeous is he not?" A voice chuckled in her ear.


	6. Chapter 6

Rumia jumped when she felt the breath hit the back of her neck and the chuckling voice turned into a full on laugh. Elrohir laughed as he watched the face of the girl change from shock to embarrassed. He caught the eyes of his brother whose eyes also shown with amusement.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to stare." she stuttered looking down.

"Do not worry we have been stared at before, but I do not think it was for the same reasons that you were staring." Elladan said as he looked off thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"What he means is that usually they are stared because they make fools of themselves." A new voice called from behind the trio.

"Erestor!" The twins said in unison as they looked at the Elven elder.

Erestor was a regal being with high cheek bones and long dark brown hair. He had bright blue eyes and high cheek bones. He had an almost feminine like quality to him. He gave her a quick once over, but he did not smile at her the way that the twins or Lord Elrond did.

"How are you, my friend?" Elladan started.

"It has been so long since we have seen you." Elrohir said with a smile his grey eyes excited. "We are sorry that we did not come to see you when we returned, but we were a little preoccupied at the time."

"I see." He said, never taking his eyes off of Rumia. The twins seemed to notice his gaze and glanced at each other.

"I see you are curious about our young guest here." Elladan said staring at the elven lord.

"Yes, I am. I was just speaking to Lord Elrond about her; he said she was very, interesting." Erestor said as he moved his gaze from her to the elves behind her.

"Well she is very shy." Elrohir said and Rumia felt a slight push on the small of her back. "But once she starts talking, she is a joy to be around."

"Is that right?" Erestor asked with once again returning his gaze to the girl. "My name is Erestor, Chief Counselor to Lord Elrond, and you?"

"M-my n-name is Rumia, my lord." She said looking down for she was not able to keep the gaze of the stern elf much longer.

Elladan and Elrohir gave Erestor a pleading look and Erestor let out a sigh.

"Your dress is very nice." He said looking at the girl. She looked back at him and smiled, but she also felt her cheeks burn at the compliment.

"Thank you but it is not mine." She said still smiling. "Lady Arwen gave it to me."

"Did she?" He questioned.

"Yes, when I awoke she was there and after I went to the baths she gave this dress to me."

Erestor looked at the girl. He did not know what to make of her. Lord Elrond told him that she had wondered her way to Rivendell all the way from Harad. It would take a lot out of even an elf to travel that far, especially if one were lost. As he looked at her now, though it was not quite at all what he had been expecting. The way that Lord Elrond had described her to him, he had expected a tall strong girl, but this one was scrawny and short. Her brown skin seemed pale and her eyes lacked the luster of someone who had just overcome a great journey. The only time that her eyes seem to light up was when she was talking about Arwen or when she was talking to the two elves around her.

Erestor had been watching her interact with them, the same way that most of the elves in the room had. They were all curious about the strange girl.

Rumia stared at the elven Lord. He seemed to be once again examining her with his eyes. It unnerved her.

Noticing how uncomfortable she felt. The twins quickly took action.

"Lord Erestor we do not mean to be rude," Elladan said as he gently grabbed one of Rumia's wrists.

"But we really must introduce her to others here." Finished Elrohir as he put his hand on the small of her back.

"Of course." Erestor said. "I do hope we will meet again, Lady Rumia."

"You as well my Lord." She said politely.

The twins nodded their heads in respect before moving her away from the elven Lord.

Xxx

Elladan and Elrohir introduced Rumia to many elves. Some were kind like Lady Arwen and others were more like Vanya, but she found most were indifferent to her presence. She did not know how to feel about that, but she was glad that there were not many who completely hated her presence.

At the moment, the brothers were showing her one of the many gardens and she could not help but to revel in its beauty. They let her explore all she wanted and even allowed her to pick some flowers.

As the hour became late the trio found themselves sitting on the grass, tired after a long day. All of a sudden Rumia felt and heard her stomach growl. She put her hand s over it quickly and felt her face flush.

Laughs echoed from either side of her. "That was you?" questioned Elrohir who was throwing his head back in laughter

"I did not expect a sound such as that to come from you." Elladan said as he covered his mouth with his hand to prevent her from seeing him chuckle.

"It is not my fault," she argued weakly. "I did not get a chance to eat, remember? Right when I was about to, Lord Erestor came."

"She is right, brother." Elrohir said as he stopped laughing. "She never did get to eat did she?"

"Nay she did not. But," Elladan paused, looking at Rumia and his brother with a twinkle in his eye. "I did notice that she had not eaten and so I brought this with us, when we made our escape." He reached for his sleeve and pulled out an apple. He held it in front of them triumphantly. Elrohir took one look at the apple and laughed and Rumia covered her mouth as she tried to hold in a chuckle.

"Surely, you cannot expect her to eat that."

"Why not, what is wrong with it?" Questioned a confused Elladan. Rumia took the apple from his hand and turned it around to show him that side that had been facing her and Elrohir. The apple was completely brown on that side and it looked as though it was starting to cave in on itself. "Oh," he said looking at it. He dropped the apple and moved to rub the part of his sleeve where he hid the apple. "Well, that does explain the wet patch." This caused his brother and Rumia once again to laugh loudly.

After their laughing fit Rumia spoke up, "Do not worry about me, I'll be fine. One more day without food will not hurt me anymore than I already am. Besides it is late and the hours of morning will be approaching us soon enough, I think that I can wait until then to enjoy a delicious meal." She finished with a smile and the brothers looked at each other doubtfully but dropped the subject nonetheless.

"We should, get you back so you can rest." Elladan said as he watched the girl yawn.

"It has been a long day for us all has it not brother?" Elrohir said also watching her.

She nodded in agreement with them and tried to stand but she fell back. The brother's deep voices chuckled and they both extended hands to her so she could help herself up. She took both and held onto them tightly.

"Will you be able to show me to my room?" she asked them. "I do not remember which way it was."

"Of course, kitten we will be glad to." Elrohir said and he pulled her hand back to the direction of the entrance.

"What kind of gentlemen would we be if were to let a lady wander on her own?" Elladan questioned.

"Horrible ones?" She guessed.

"Horrible indeed, my lady." They chuckled again.

The halls were silent on the way to her room. The only noise to be heard were the footsteps that the trio made as they walked down the hall and the quiet mutterings that the twins spoke in their beautiful language. Rumia did not mind that they had stopped talking to her. She could not be bothered to speak anyway. Her tiredness and the lack of food had used up all of her energy. She just watched and listened as the two talked animatedly, she liked to watch them speak to each other. It was nice to watch them talk when they were speaking the common tongue but it was even more interesting to watch them talk in their own language. It gave an even more exotic feel then they already had and somehow it made them look even more beautiful.

"Here we are dear kitten." Elrohir or was it Elladan, she could not tell she was exhausted, said as they showed her to her door.

"Thank you." She said smiling sleepily at them. They smiled back at her and they each patted her head once.

"Good night kitten." They both whispered and she watched as they walked down the hallway and out of her sight. She was so tired she did not even change into the dress that was laid out on the stand next to her bed.

She lay on her bed and let sleep take hold of her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day for Rumia was not much different. She did notice that more elves seemed to appear. It was almost like a gathering. She also noticed that she did get stared at a lot but it was not the disdain that Vanya had looked upon her with. It was more of a curiosity. A young elven maiden, named Adlanna, approached her and tried to start a conversation with her but found that she could not speak the common tongue as well and she had hoped.

Adlanna was frustrated that her attempts to communicate with the strange girl were failing, but she was determined to talk with her and so she tried to make the girl understand that she did not want her to move from the spot she was at.

Rumia smiled at her determination and nodded her head at her hand gestures and broken commands of "Wait, get brother." She watched as the light brown haired beauty ran off. Rumia looked around her surroundings once again. She stumbled onto the maiden while she was exploring and once again found herself lost. She had actually been looking for the twins the entire morning but had no such luck in finding them.

She was happy that she was able to remember where the dining hall was though. She was also glad that when she sat down to eat that there were not many people there and that the few that were, did not seem to acknowledge her presence, because they were so wrapped up in their own conversations. Rumia frowned thinking of her dining habits. She had eaten like a pig and she was sure that no matter how involved that they were in their conversations the elves had noticed the sloppy human making a mess at their table. She was starving, that was the only excuse that she really could think of.

She let the thoughts of her eating slip from her mind; she still remembered that she had not found Lady Arwen to thank her. That was bothering her; she felt that she had been rude to her by not thanking her.

Rumia jumped when she heard footsteps quickly walking hurriedly down the hall. She turned and saw the auburn haired beauty pulling a tall elf's hand.

Adlanna stood in front of the Haradrim girl and pointed to her brother and said, "Brother,Calanon."

The elf that stood before her was extremely handsome. He had light brown hair like his sister and bright green eyes. He looked at his sister a little irritated, it was clear that she had interrupted him while he was busy with another task. He looked at Rumia and lightly bowed his head in greeting. She did the same back and he looked at her skeptically. She supposed the way that she greeted him was strange. He probably expected her to curtsey like the other women did, but that was not how she was raised and it would be a hard habit to break.

"It is nice to meet you, I am Rumia." She said with a smile. "Your sister was trying to tell me something but I do not know what it is."

"I see," he said looking over her briefly before he turned to his sister and asked her what it was that she wanted.

Rumia could not help but stare; she was transfixed by the language. It was the most beautiful things that she had heard in her short life. She remembered hearing Elladan and Elrohir speak like this the night before, but she had been so tired she did not take time to fully appreciate the beauty of the language.

"She wanted to know if you would like to be her friend." Calanon said looking at the transfixed girl. She blinked dumbly as she felt herself being pulled from her thoughts.

"Of course!" She said cheerily. She then frowned. "But how, will we talk to one another, surely she does not expect to be able to find you whenever we wish to have a conversation."

"Surely." Calanon drawled. He looked back to his sister and asked her what her plan was. Rumia watched as the young maiden spoke quickly and animatedly to her elder brother. Rumia smiled as she watched her. It was no question that Adlanna was beautiful, all of the elves were. Adlanna was different though. When she was silent she had all the grace and regality that an elf was expected to have but when she started talking and when she got passionate about something she became determined. The way she looked when she spoke passionately made her look absolutely adorable, the way a child would when they set their mind to something that they really wanted to do. It also showed how much younger she was than her brother.

"She says she would like it if she could learn more of the common tongue from you and in return she would try the best to teach you Sindarian." He said looking at the girl.

"What is Sindarian?" She asked looking between the two.

"Our language." He said nearly rolling his eyes at the girl.

"That sounds like fun" She said with a smile trying to brush off his rudeness, though she could not blame him, she supposed the question was a bit stupid.

When he translated this to his sister Rumia saw her eyes light up with joy and Adlanna gave her a large huge, which was something that Rumia was not expecting. She almost stumbled at the impact from the maiden. She watched as Calanon shook his head before he walked away from his sister.

When Adlanna let her excitement calm her she looked at Rumia and smiled. Rumia could not help but smile back. Adlanna hooked her arm with Rumia and started to pull her. Rumia did not hesitate and followed her new friend quickly.

Adlanna had taken them to another garden. It had a pond in the middle that was slightly smaller than the one that Elladan and Elrohir had taken her to the night before but this one had stone benches surrounding it.

"I go here when stress." Adlanna said admiring the beauty of the scene.

"I can see why you would." Rumia said as she took in the sights around her. It was a beautiful spot to behold. There were many flowers and you could hear and see birds all around. There were tall trees and the area itself was secluded. It was a perfect place to come and relaxed.

It made her think of the spot in between the trees of her home and the main part of the village that she loved to go and relax in. It was a rare spot. In her village they did not have many trees. One reason was because of the weather. Harad in general, although it spread through different regions of land, was a hard place to go trees, or any sort of vegetation, in. Another reason was that most of the trees had been cut down to be used for houses and as wheel barrels and other tools to carry the raw materials from the ore mines to the blacksmiths.

"What do you have to stress about?" Rumia asked the young maiden. She watched as she looked down, her whole demeanor changing.

"Brother," she said with a pause trying to find the right words. "No like me?" she questioned looking at the brown skinned girl beside her. She was wondering if she used the correct words to describe her feelings that her brother had for her. She watched as Rumia's brown eyes became wide before she also became sad.

"Why do you think that he does not like you?"

"Burden," Adlanna replied softly as she moved her eyes away from the girl.

"Why do you think that you are a burden?" Rumia questioned confused. It was true that she did not know the girl very well but it certainly did not seem like she would be the cause of anyone's burden. In fact she was sure that her determination would have made her an asset to anyone who would have requested her help.

"No tell." Adlanna said moving her hands to her neck showing that she meant that she could not speak the words that she needed to explain her reasoning.

"I understand" Rumia said. "When did you want to start with the lessons?"

"Soon!" Adlanna said adamantly and Rumia could not help but laugh at the eagerness in her voice.

"How about tomorrow?"

"In library?" questioned the Adlanna and when she got a nod in response.

The girls smiled at each other excitedly glad to have made a new friend in each other.

Xxx

Later in the day, Rumia was once again exploring and she found herself lost once again. The only difference was that this time she found herself lost outside and while she did not feel that she was in any particular danger she really wished that she could find her way back inside.

The sun would be setting soon and she wanted to make it back inside in time for dinner. She wanted a redo of the night before. She felt more confident since she had met so many people and had even made a new friend in Adlanna.

As she continued to walk Adlanna found herself on a bridge. She was tired from having walked all day long and she decided that she would take in the view. She sighed and inhaled the fresh air. She looked down and found herself staring at the stables. There was an aid there that was brushing the coat of a beautiful horse. The horses coat was a reddish brown color and she thought it was one of the most beautiful that she had ever seen.

Rumia loved animals and she had always wanted a pet of some sort but she would never have had the time to take care of one back in her village. There was always so much to be done. The workload tippled after the deaths of her brothers and even more work was piled on by the overseer because of spite. She and her family barely had time enough to speak to each other with how busy they were.

She briefly considered the thought that Lord Elrond might consider letting her have a horse if she asked him for it and promised to take care of it by herself, but she quickly pushed the thought away from her mind. She did not know the first thing about taking care of a horse, all she knew was that they were pretty, large, and were used for riding. Aside from that there was no way that she could ask for him to give her more than he had already, that would be more than selfish.

Rumia sighed dreamily as she watched the aid walk the horse back to the stable.

"And here I thought you found my brother attractive." A voice chuckled from behind her.

Rumia jumped and put her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. She turned and saw the beautiful chuckling gray eyes of Elrohir, his brother not too far behind him. She pouted slightly and this caused them to laugh even more.

"You look like a child when you do that." Elladan chuckled with his brother nodding his head in agreement.

She felt her face flush and she brushed off the comment. She did not want the subject of her appearing childlike to come up anymore.

"You scared me." She said glaring at them slightly.

"Forgive us kitten, but you were so entranced with the stable hand that you did not hear me call your name." Elrohir said as he smirked at her.

"I doubt you called to me at all and you are just making up an excuse." She said looking at him skeptically.

Elrohir put on a feigned hurt look while his brother clapped him on the back. "It seems you were found out brother." He said good naturedly. "But we were going to call out to you kitten, that is no lie." He walked to stand on the right side of her and draped his arms over the stone. He watched in the direction that she was looking at earlier. "Do you find him handsome?"

Rumia felt her cheeks flush at the question. She looked over at the stable hand again and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I do." She said thoughtfully. "But all of the elf men are handsome and all of the elf women are beautiful. So I would have to say no. For an elf, to me anyway, he is ordinary."

"That is an interesting way to look at it." Elrohir said as he came to stand at her left.

"That is the only way that I can look at it." She said with a smile. "Otherwise I would be overwhelmed all of the time."

"So then, do you find us ordinary?" The twins asked in unison.

Rumia felt her face flush and she started to laugh thinking that they were playing. "Why would you ask me that?" She asked avoiding their question.

"We have never heard of an elf being called ordinary." Elladan started looking in her eye coyly.

"Especially not by a human." Added Elrohir who smirked at her.

"So tell us." They finished.

She felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks heat even more. She examined them once again. They were tall each with long dark brown hair and beautiful grey eyes. They both had pair of broad shoulders that she knew held well-muscled arms. Their ears were perfectly pointed and made her want to touch them and they each had a pair of slightly full pink lips.

"I do not think there is ever a way that I would find either of you ordinary." She said after she looked over their features. She saw a smile start on each of their lips.

"Well how do you find us then?" Pressed Elrohir.

"I find you absolutely breathtaking." She said confidently, even though her heart was beating so loud she could hear it in her ears and it felt as though her stomach was in her throat.

The twins looked at each other, they were a bit stunned at her answer; they had been called handsome before but never breathtaking. They each felt their chest swell with a pride.

They each smile before they each took one of her arms and looped it with one of their own, Elladan on the right and Elrohir on the left like always. They started to guide her back towards the dining hall.

"Are you going to say thank you?" She asked them as they walked.

"What for?" Elrohir questioned from her left.

"For my compliment!" She said as she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"Why should we say thank you for something that we already knew?" Questioned Elladan turning them to the right and ignoring the stares of the other elves.

"What do you mean?"

"If you did not find us attractive, your heart would not race every time you see us." Elrohir said nonchalantly and Rumia felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"You cannot hear my heart beat." She said shakily her pace slowing causing the twins to slow down with her. She was so embarrassed.

"Maybe we can." They said in unison, not bothered by the slow pace.

"Well, how do you find me?" She questioned. And the twins could not help but smirk at the question. It was a fairly predictable one, but they did not mind it when it came from her.

"The most adorable kitten that we have seen in a long time." Elladan said as he and his brother pushed open the door to the dining hall.


	8. Chapter 8

Rumia felt her throat clench as she replayed the words the twins spoke to her last night. She had never been called anything close to remotely attractive, but she supposed that was because the only people that she experienced any real interaction with were her family.

She looked herself over in the mirror feeling slightly self-conscious. It was one of the first times that she actually carefully looked over at her body. She frowned at how the dress fit her. It fell straight down and did nothing to flatter her at all. She supposed that was because she had a bit more of a curve to her body than elven women did. She imagined it was one of the differences between elven women and human women in general not because of where she was from. She thought back to her old dresses in her village and realized that none of them ever actually were made for her figure. They were all mainly work clothes and the occasional dress for when she needed a day's rest but they were still made out of the same material as her work dresses, just less dirty.

She had never had needed to visually please anyone. In her village it was not her destiny to become a beauty that men sought after. It was her duty to make weapons and find the best ore that she could. Her parents would have eventually made an arrangement with some family and she would marry that way. She would never have to be sexually appealing.

In some ways she would have found that to be simpler than it was at this moment. She felt an attraction to the twins and she could not and did not want to fight it. But she was nowhere near their sights and if she was it was only as an adorable _kitten. _She would not be able to compete with the beautiful elven women, with their tall bodies and pale skin. They were like visions of perfection and compared to them she felt like a short brown stump.

She ran a hand through her hair and found that it was tangled. She looked for a comb and was able to find one in a drawer beside her bed. She combed her hair until it was straight and it laid down perfectly without a strand sticking up. She smiled to herself. She had always loved her hair; it was long and easy to manage a trait that she had taken from her mother.

She looked at her face and was relieved to see that her face was not as tried looking as it had been two days earlier and that her coloring was coming back. The slight bags that she had under her eyes were disappearing and her blotchy skin tone had all but disappeared. She could not imagine how awful that she must have looked when Elladan and Elrohir found her. She shuddered mentally before she looked at herself in the mirror and was happy with what she saw.

Rumia would find some way to fix her dress situation.

Xxx

After breakfast she ran to the library as fast as she could, but she inevitably became lost. She walked looking for a familiar face. She sighed and almost gave up before familiar auburn hair passed her by.

"Excuse me," She called out almost hesitantly. She remembered that he was not the most willing to help out in situations. "You are Lord Calanon, am I correct?"

The tall elf turned to look at the small girl calling him, and he almost let out a groan when he saw her. She was the one that his sister would not stop talking about when she returned home the day before. He examined the girl and saw her pleading eyes and sighed inaudibly. "Yes, was there something you needed?"

Rumia almost shuddered at the sound of his voice. It was deep, a small bit deeper than that of the twins. It reminded her of her father's voice. His sharp green eyes almost pierced through her and she felt even smaller than she already was. She looked at him once again, he was not much taller than the twins and he was not as handsome. She supposed her opinion was biased at this moment and put the looks of him to the side.

It was clear that he did not want to be bothered with her and so instead of asking is he could show her the way to the library she asked, "Can you tell me how to get to library?"

He examined her once again. She did not meet his eye when she asked the question. He supposed it was because she was intimidated. He sighed out loud and allowed himself to become calm. He did not like it when other spoke to him and did not meet his eye. He saw it as a sign of disrespect, but he was the reason the she would not, or could not, meet his eye.

She watched him as it looked like he almost let his shoulders slack, but the change was barely noticeable.

"Would, you like me to show you instead?" He questioned, but the way that Rumia heard it was more of a statement.

"Yes, please." She said quietly.

"Follow me." He said as he started to walk swiftly in the opposite direction of the way that he was going before.

They did not speak on the way to the library, but Rumia could not help but to steal a few side glances at him. When he was relaxed she actually found him quite handsome. He also had some of the most gorgeous hair that she had ever seen. It made her feel slightly jealous. It looked soft to the touch.

When they came to the end of one of the various halls, Rumia smiled when she saw the familiar large door. Her smile became even larger when she saw her auburn haired friend waiting outside.

Adlanna smiled when she saw Rumia coming closer, but it dropped slightly when she saw her brother was walking with her. She started to feel a little self-conscious and started to smooth wrinkles in her dress that were not there. She wanted to make sure that she looked presentable. She did not want to embarrass him.

Rumia greeted Adlanna happily and the two immediately engaged in conversation and neither seemed to notice when Calanon slipped away quietly.

Rumia opened the door for Adlanna and the two found a place near the window to sit and try to learn from each other as best as possible.

Xxx

Lord Elrond was a bit startled when he saw the two girls fast asleep in his library, each with a book in their hand. He gently took the books from them and saw that neither of them had gotten passed the first page.

He assumed that they must have gotten consumed with their conversation and began giving up on reading.

Adlanna woke with a start and almost screamed when she saw that her Lord was standing over her.

"_My Lord, we did not mean to fall asleep." _She said as she attempted to bow her head in respect but found that she could not move her neck because it was stiff.

Elrond chuckled when he noticed her frantic behavior. _"What is it that you are doing her here, young one?"_

"_Rumia, has been teaching me to speak the common tongue and in turn I have promised to help teacher the way that we do." _ She looked down almost bashfully. _"But, it seemed that we were not able to get through much. I was able to use fuller sentence with her though. Soon I will be teaching her."_

Elrond was going to ask more of the young elf but he saw that Rumia was stirring and decided it would be for the best if he asked someone else. He bid the young elf a farewell and she did him the same as politely as she could.

Xxx

"Rumia!" A voice said as she was shaken from her sleep. Rumia cracked one of her brown eyes open and winced as the dimming sun hit them.

"Rumia, we will be late!" A voice said.

She looked and saw that Adlanna was trying to wake her and she sat up quickly. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting.

"Dinner." Adlanna said urgently and she helped Rumia up from her seat. She watched as she stretched and the two quickly made their way to the dining hall.

Rumia scanned the room quickly looking for Elladan and Elrohir. She smiled when she was able to set her eyes on them. Elrohir was the first to notice her and elbowed his brother and they both waved her over.

She started to pull Adlanna over with her but was a little taken aback when she realized that she could not move her. "What is wrong?" She questioned her friend.

"I am sorry." Adlanna started slowly. "But I have to sit with, brother."

Rumia nodded understandingly and smiled at Adlanna. They said good bye and she went to sit next to the twins.

The brothers smiled in greeting as Rumia sat down in between them.

"You are making friends." Stated Elrohir as he took a bite of bread.

"I am." She said with a smile. Her smile became even bigger when a plate appeared in front of her. "Thank you Elladan."

"You are welcome." He said with a wink as he sat down to her right.

"That is Calanon's sister, is it not?" Elrohir asked as he took another bite.

"It is." Rumia replied. She watched him skeptically as he kept his eyes trained on the young elf maiden that was gracefully making her way over to her brother. She wanted to ask if he liked her, but she bit her tongue, feeling that it would have been inappropriate.

"You fancy her, brother?" Questioned Elladan as he brought a spoon to his mouth.

"No." Elrohir said as he turned his attention to the two sitting beside him. "You remember her brother right?"

"Calanon?" Elladan asked.

"Yes. I have heard…things."

His brother raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And what kinds of things have you heard dear brother?"

"Things to inappropriate for a kitten to hear." Elrohir said with a smirk and his both smirked back at him.

Rumia secretly cast a small glare at them which caused them to chuckle. Their laughter caused her to laugh as well. She had never had so much fun as she had been having here. She felt warm, like she was with family.

"Perhaps we should discuss it later brother." Elladan said.

"Perhaps." His brother responded.

Xxx

Dinner was finished and the twins once again volunteered to take her to her room. There would be no midnight strolls this night. They all were extremely tired, but Rumia never got to ask them were they went throughout the day. She wanted to question them but she did not know if she wanted the answer. Almost every time that she would see them they would be in some type of armor. The only time they were not is when they were at dinner. She did not want to hear about them putting their lives in danger. It would have bothered her too much.

As they were walking her back to her room, Rumia felt a slight chill hit her and she rubbed her hands up her arms. Before she knew it her, her shivers were eased by a cloak being thrown over her shoulders. She looked up and saw Elrohir smile at her. She nodded her head in thanks and the trio continued down the hallway, arm and arm, as they usually were when they walked together.

After the brothers had bid her good night she realized that she still had Elrohirs' cloak and she wanted to return it to him. She walked from her room and a little ways into the hall. She looked to see if she could see any sign of them but both brothers were gone. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders figuring that she would be able to return it to him in the morning.

As she walked slowly back to her room, she walked to the window and admired the moon. It was another beautiful night in Rivendell and she could not believe how lucky that she was to have been given the privilege to be able to stay there.

She turned her gazing away from the window and started to walk back to her room when she heard two hurried pairs of footsteps coming down the hall.

She quickly tried to get to her room but was only able to make it to the shadows when the footsteps stopped in front of the window that she had just been gazing out of. She squinted and let her eyes focus on the figures until she could make out to heads of auburn hair.

It was Adlanna and Calanon that much she was certain, but something was not right. She could see Adlanna holding her head down and wiping her face, almost as if she was crying. Calanon seemed to be scolding her, but she could not understand what was being said. They were too far away and they were not speaking the common tongue.

Rumia felt her heartache as she watched Adlanna's arm being harshly gripped by her brother. Adlanna started to nod her head as if she was complying with everything that her brother was saying. Rumia watched as Calanon pulled his sister down the hall, and Adlanna was still crying.

Rumia went as quietly as she could back inside her room. She knew that if they were close enough both brother and sister might have heard her closing the door and the last thing that she wanted was Adlanna getting in more trouble because she might make him angry.

Rumia changed into a night gown that had been given her and slipped into bed. Tomorrow she would confront Adlanna about what she saw. She did not know what she would or could do but she knew that she wanted to help.


	9. Chapter 9

Rumia sighed as she stared at her porridge dejectedly. She had been thinking about how to approach Adlanna concerning her brother all morning and was almost dreading seeing her.

The twins watched the girl silently. They were worried about her. When they walked her to breakfast, she barely greeted them. They told jokes but she did not respond to them save for a small smile or a nod of acknowledgement.

"Will you not tell us what is wrong?" Elrohir questioned her softly.

She did not move her eyes from her meal and shook her head.

"Has someone hurt you?" Elladan questioned seriously.

She shook her head once more and the brothers looked at her sadly.

"The problem is not mine." She murmured. "But, Adlanna's."

"What is the matter with Adlanna?" Questioned Elrohir, a little relived that it was not Rumia who had been hurt.

"Nothing yet." She mumbled looking at the brother from the corner of her eye "But I fear that she will be hurt soon enough."

"Why do you say that, little one?" Questioned Elladan his brow furrowing as he took in what Rumia was saying.

"I saw Adlanna and Calanon in the hallway last night." She started slowly; she did not want to tell them about what she saw, she wasn't sure it was as violent as she thought it was. She could be getting someone in trouble that had actually done nothing wrong but something in the pit of her stomach was telling her that it was not the case at all. She felt that Adlanna was in danger and she had to tell someone.

"And?" The twins questioned together wanting her to spit it out. The way that she was answering was painfully slow and at the rate they were going they would be there until night fall.

"They were talking angrily at first; I couldn't understand what they were saying though they were speaking your tongue. Then Adlanna said something that I guess Calanon did not approve of because he grabbed her arm and twisted it. She didn't scream but I could see that she was in pain by the look on her face." Rumia said softly looking at the brothers and trying to read their facial expressions as they took in what she had told them.

A knowing look passed over both of the brothers faces as they glanced at each other.

"Did you both know about this?" Questioned Rumia as she recognized the glance that they shared between them.

"Aye," Elrohir started slowly. "There have been rumors going around about Calanon's behavior."

"And of course we wanted to look into it but every time we approached Calanon he would simply walk away or find some way to distract us." Finished Elladan.

"You both don't look particularly angry about this," Rumia started. "Like you are not surprised by his behavior." She watched with wide eyes as the brothers shook their heads sadly confirming that they were not at all surprised by the behavior.

"We have known Calanon and his family for quite a long time." Elladan started.

"Since we were children, actually." Elrohir cut in.

"Right since we were children. One of the things that we have seen is that the family is one that focuses on outward appearance the most." Elladan said continuing were his brother left off. "In fact it is strange that Adlanna is as friendly as she is."

"What do you mean?" Rumia questioned.

"Well, it is expected that she would have a somewhat wilder attitude than most since she is one of the youngest here," Elladan started. "But we also see her being scolded by her brother and other family often. They are all for the most part very cold. Think of it like a large family full of people like Vanya and then one person in the family is like you."

Rumia shuddered almost instantly at the comparison, she had only spent a few hours with Vanya and she felt horrible. She could not imagine what it must be like for Adlanna when all of her family is that mean.

"Then what should I do?" Rumia started. "I want to help her."

The brothers smiled sadly at her but shook their heads in response.

"Unfortunately there is nothing that you can do." Elrohir told her. "It is family business to raise their children the way that they choose. And you will not have to worry for her much longer her fiftieth year is coming soon."

"Her fiftieth year?" questioned Rumia. "You mean her birthday? What has that got to do with anything?"

"I suppose you could say it is like the official recognition of adult age for our kind." Elladan answered her.

"So that means that she will not have to deal with her parents if she does not want to?" Rumia questioned.

"If she chooses to leave them then it is not their concern what she does." Elrohir stated with a shrug as he started to stand from his seat and clear their plates from the table. His brother and Rumia followed his example and made their way to the entrance of the dining hall were they waited for him.

"But it is likely that she will choose to stay with them even after she comes of age." Elrohir finished as he returned and the trio began walking.

"Why do you say that?" Rumia questioned looking up at him.

"The tendency with not only her family but with most is to stay until they marry. It is likely it will be the same for Adlanna." Elladan said which caused Rumia to frown.

"Why should they wait until marriage if you are free you should leave so you can start your own life."

"Is that what you were raised to be like in your village?" Questioned Elrohir.

Rumia frowned, "Yes and no."

"What do you mean?" He questioned and his brother looked just as curious as he was.

"Well in my village it is-_it was_- taught that one should be self-reliant and that to leech off your family and not leave home was a horrible burden that you would be placing on them." She started as she remembered the teachings of her village. "We were a very poor village and there was not enough work for everyone to have and so when you came of age it was expected that you would go elsewhere and find work and send home part of your wages to your family so that they could be well off. When your parents became old and ceased living you would return to take over their land and their work and then you would live there with your family until your children came of age. Then you would send them off and the cycle would be repeated again."

"Then what is the part about the no?" questioned Elladan as they turned to the stone bridge that overlooked the creek.

"My family owned a small mine, but we lived a comfortable life off of the earnings we made exporting some of the ore. So if we wished we would have been able to stay as long as we wanted to. But my brothers and I had planned to leave and return the same way everyone else had. That is the plan we had set forth when we were little." She said looking at the flowing water almost getting lost in it.

"Then what happened?" Questioned Elrohir softly as he watched her demeanor change. Both he and his brother could tell that she was about to get emotional about a past event and they did not want it to seem like they were forcing her to tell them what happened.

"We were so young and naïve that we did not even know that our destinies had already been chosen for us."

"What do you mean?" Elladan questioned just as softly as his brother did.

"We did not realize that Harad had been under Sauron's control. In fact we did not know of anything beyond our village. We just heard stories of the great warriors that had come before us. For a while I had not known that elves even existed until a traveler came."

"A traveler?" Elladan questioned.

"Yes a traveler." Rumia said with a smile on her face as she remembered him. "He was probably the first person that I had ever admired. He told us stories about elves, dwarves and talking trees and hobbits. He said he had been all over Middle earth and that there were places even more lovely then we could imagine. He even said that he would take us there one day."

"What happened to him?" Elrohir questioned.

Rumia frowned as she felt herself become angry. "The man was a deceiver. He told us of what he called the greatest kingdom of all. That even though it did not match the natural beauty that the Elven cities had that it made up for it in majesty and grace. He said it was the perfect place for people to come and find work when they became older. There was a condition though, we would have to swear loyalty to the Lord of that kingdom otherwise we could not work there. We would not have been welcomed."

Rumia paused as she took the time to rest her voice for a moment. The only other person that she had talked to this long was Lord Elrond and he still had not gotten this much out of her. She supposed it was because she felt it was easy to talk to twins and that they knew her the best. She was sure that once she told them the story that they would not treat her any different.

"My brothers did not think it was a good idea and so they ran away but I stayed and I listened to the deceiver's tale. I promised him that I would swear loyalty to him and whatever Lord that he wished me to. I wanted to be a good daughter and make sure that my parents were well off and that maybe some of the money could go back into the village and help the others who were struggling."

The brothers examined the girl as she told her story. They watched as she became a completely different person. From her personality to the way that she spoke; it was a complete change. The strange thing was that they were not completely surprised by the change. They knew that shy girl that they had met could not have been the true her, otherwise she would have not been brave nor strong enough to run away from her village.

"He told me that if I wanted to swear my loyalty to the Lord and guarantee my space and job in the kingdom that I should meet in the forest later that evening. I foolishly agreed. Even thinking about it now I cannot believe what an idiot that I had been, even if I was only twelve years."

"So you met him in the forest?" Elrohir said softly.

"Yes." She said plainly. "I snuck out that night to meet him. Luckily for me though all three of my brothers had followed me, they knew that I would do something unwise. When I met he looked the same. He had the same stature that you all do. And the same long brown hair. Thinking about it now it is scary how much resemblance you both have with him. But he was not any elf, there is no way he could be an elf. He was something completely different. He had these cold silver eyes and a massive scare going from his temple all the way down to his chin on the right side of his face. Usually he wore a friendly smile on his face but that night he never smiled at me once. I should have known then that something was wrong but saying that now would not have helped me."

"He made me take this oath and I cannot remember what it said but I knew then that something was wrong but it was much too late for me to do anything about it. He cut my hand and made me spill the blood onto this drawing on the floor. When the blood fell to the floor and landed on the picture it started to glow and he started chanting so I ran, but it was too late. I fell and the next thing I knew my back was on fire and I started to scream. I could not move and before I knew it he was above me again."

"Luckily for me that was the only thing he had a chance to do to me. My brothers came out from wherever they had been hiding and tackled the man. My oldest brother Rikka picked me up and started to carry me back to the house. While the other two stayed behind to deal with the man."

She shook her head with a bitter smile, "I must have passed out because I do not remember ever reaching home after that but the next morning I was in excruciating pain. I had this mark on my back but I cannot tell you what it is or used to be. When my father found the mark he went as pale as a ghost. He knew what it was and I never got the chance to ask him about it."

"Why do you say was?" Started Elladan," Is the mark not there now?"

"No it is." She said. "It is just deformed. My father thought that if he could take the mark off whatever deal that I made with the man would be void. So he used...various methods to try and get it off."

"What about the deal? Did something ever happen with that?" Questioned Elrohir.

"It did." She said sadly as she looked at up at the sky, "But can we talk about that another time?"

"Sure." The twin's responded at the same time.

"Wonderful." She said with a smile and then she started to walk away from them.

"Where are you going?" Questioned Elladan.

"I am late for my lessons with Adlanna in the library." She called back.

"I think you're going to be even later if you keep going that way." Elrohir called back and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Rumia stopped mid-step and turned around and walked the other way. She kept her nose pointed in the air and her eyes closed as she passed the snickering brothers, who burst out laughing when she tripped over her own feet.

"Perhaps it would be safer if we were to escort you to the library." Elrohir said in between breaths.

Rumia glared and said, "I can make it on my own." And with that she huffily walked away in the direction she thought that the library was in leaving the two laughing brothers behind.

_'I had not expected to tell them all of that. Not this soon. But I suppose it is because I feel so comfortable around them.' _Rumia thought with a smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Rumia calmed her beating heart as she stood at the entrance of the library. She wanted to go inside and tell Adlanna that she had seen the interaction between her and her brother but the twin's words kept replaying over in her mind causing her to hesitate with each breath. She did not know how she would speak to her, how she would look at her. She was nervous and was back to her shy self; quite the opposite of the way she was when she was talking to the twins earlier on the bridge.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. She did not see Adlanna immediately and sighed in relief thinking that she had decided to skip today. She took the time to look around the library and found Adlanna sitting in the window seal watching the trees sway with a book in her lap. She had a far off look in her eyes and Rumia hated that she interrupted her when she was so deep in thought.

"Excuse me." She said quietly but it was more than enough to get the young elf's attention. Adlanna turned and her eyes changed from distant to excited when she saw the human. A large smile spread across her face and Rumia felt her face flush. She kept forgetting how beautiful the elves were.

"I am happy to see you." Adlanna said with a thick accent but Rumia was surprised about how much progress she had made in such little time.

"You've gotten so much better!" Rumia exclaimed. "How did you do it?"

"My brother," Adlanna said looking down shyly. "He said that I should learn quick or I embarrass them."

Rumia felt her face darken and her smile fell. The room's energy seemed to have shifted as well. It felt awkward and neither one of them knew what to say to the other.

"How about we start the learning?" Adlanna suddenly chirped her chipper smile returning to her face.

"Yes, lets." Rumia said returning the infectious smile.

Xxx

An hour into the lesson Rumia was able to understand some simple sentences that Adlanna was saying to her, childish sentences, but sentences none the less. Rumia felt proud of her self but the urge to mention Calanon was becoming overwhelming the more and more she listened to Adlanna speak.

She kept having thoughts about what he was doing to her behind closed doors. She had never had a female friend before and she did not want her to get hurt. She had heard of abuse happening plenty of times before. Rage taken out on females and children that do not deserve it, it was truly a sickening thing.

"Are you listening?" Adlanna said with a coy smile as she watched Rumia's face change in into a sheepish state. "You have lot on your mind?"

"Yes actually." Rumia said not meeting her eyes. She sighed before she worked up the courage to tell her. "Adlanna, last night I saw you and your brother in the hallway."

She watched as Adlanna's eyes widen in horror before her. The elven maiden's hand went down to grab her own wrist where her brother grabbed her and she let her head fall in embarrassment. "You saw?"

"Yes. I am sorry. I should not have been listening but, I wanted to make sure you were okay." Rumia said looking apologetically at her. "Are you all right?"

"I am fine." Adlanna said with a nod of her head. "It is just that brother does not want me to be hurt."

"Hurt? But is he not the one who was hurting you?" Rumia questioned confused.

"No. I am..." Adlanna paused as she looked for the right words. "To be married into strict family."

The shock set into Rumia and she sat back feeling a little dumfounded.

"Brother did not want me to be punished by my husband's family if they do not like my actions." Adlanna continued.

"I see." Rumia started. "So you do not know how he or his family would react to you?"

"No I do." Adlanna started as she smiled. "We play as children."

"Yet you think that the he will hurt you?"

"Not him, the family."

"So the family is the one who will hurt you." Rumia said slowly as she pieced the puzzle together.

"Yes." Adlanna nodded. "Even as a child they scold me. They told me I do not behave like proper lady. I cannot help it though. It is way I am."

"How does your fiancé feel about the way you act?" Rumia questioned. "And why does he not say anything."

"It is not just me who will be hurt."

The statement made Rumia's heart drop. How could someone's family be that cruel? People were not made to be broken. She could not imagine a family beating someone because they did not act a certain way. Rumia's heart went out not only to Adlanna but to her fiancée as well. What kind of torture did he have to go through growing up? And once he was strong enough to withstand the beatings what kind of emotional abuse did he go through?

She even felt worse that she assumed that Calanon was the one hurting Adlanna when he was just worried for her safety. It was true that he was forceful but perhaps that was just his way of getting through his message.

"Please do not tell anyone, especially brother, what I have told you." Adlanna pleaded with her.

Rumia looked into her eyes and reluctantly she nodded.

"All right I will not say a word."

Xxx

Later Rumia found herself in the stables. The stable hand had allowed her, after much convincing, to help brush the horses. She had never touched a horse before and she found them to be some of the most wondrous beasts that she had ever encountered.

It was also a chance for her to let the news that she had found out about at Adlanna sink in. It gave her a chance to think about what she would say to the twins who would most certainly probe her for information at dinner.

"I was not expecting to see you here." A voice called from behind her.

Rumia turned around and felt her breath hitch when she looked at the tall elf with his Auburn hair. His brow was arched in slight surprise and he had his hands clasped behind his back as if he was holding something.

"OH!" She exclaimed. "It is nice to see you again, my lord."

Calanon let his face relax and he ignored her greeting as he walked over to the horse that was in the stall next to the one she was currently brushing.

"I did not think that they would allow you to be doing such a menial task." He said sarcastically.

"They, my lord?" Questioned Rumia with a raised eyebrow.

"Lord Elladan and Lord Elrohir." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh." She said in realization. "They do not know that I am down here. But I am sure they will know soon enough, I had to beg the stable hand to let me down here in the first place." She said with a chuckle.

Now that she thought about it, her original plan was to help with the chores in any way that she could, in order to pay the debt that she felt that she owed for being allowed to stay in such a wondrous place. However, it seemed that the plan had gone awry. This had been the longest time, save for when they had patrol, that she had been away from the twins and it was the first time that she had done any sort of task.

"You know the never stop talking about you." Calanon's voice suddenly called. "I do not know why. If it were not for your heritage, I would say that you are no different from any other human that has ever stumbled into Imladris, on purpose or on accident."

"I am sorry if that has annoyed you in some way, my lord." Rumia said wanting to be polite but also wanting to leave. She figured if she flattered him he would not notice her sneak away. "I would not want to cause anyone to become frustrated with my presence any more than they already have. Shall I ask them to stop?"

"And entitled you are, aren't you?" Calanon hissed. "You are just going to ask the sons of Lord Elrond to stop and expect them to do as you say? You are either very foolish or very arrogant."

"I am neither, my lord." Rumia hissed back surprising both Calanon and herself. She had not expected to be arguing with him, especially after she found out that he was just protecting his sister, but it seemed that protector or not, he was still an arse.

The two glared at each other for a long while and did not notice when the twins entered the stable.

"Well brother it seems that she coaxes any beast out of its cave does she not?" Elrohirs' teasing voice cut through the air causing Rumia to break her gaze with Calanon.

"It seems she does brother. The tension is so thick I would dare say that my sword would get stuck." Elladan said in his teasing manor as well. "I'm afraid if we leave her anywhere to long even the butterflies will want to attack her."

"You may be right brother." Elrohir said as he watched Rumia walk over to him with a false scowl etched on her face.

"And now it seems we made her angry. Perhaps we shall make it up by inviting her to a late lunch with us."

At the invitation all anger that Rumia felt seemed to dissipate and the brothers did not need a verbal reply to not know that her answer was a yes.

"We hope that you do not mind that we take her away, seeing that you were both so _deep_ in conversation." Elrohir said with a smirk as he looked at Calanon.

The Auburn haired elf seemed to hesitate for a moment and clenched his fist before he reclasped his hands behind his back and shook his head. "Not at all my lords. I was just leaving actually." With that Calanon made his way out of the stable area.

"Do you really have to make everyone angry?" Questioned Elladan with a raised eyebrow.

Rumia narrowed her gaze at him, "I swear it is not my fault. I was being as polite, as it is expected of me and then he became angry when he said the you both talk about me. I believe it was misplaced anger."

"Whatever you say." Elrohir said as he finished saddling two horses.

"Why are you doing that?" Rumia questioned. "I thought we were going to eat lunch."

"We are." Elladan said simply.

"Then why..?"

"We are having a picnic." Elrohir said.

Elrohir went to stand in front of a white horse and Elladan went to stand in front of a brown.

"Now who do you wish to ride with?" They questioned simultaneously.

Rumia looked them both over. They both looked extremely handsome as she thought they always did. She did not know which one to choose so she chose the easiest answer.

"Both."


	11. Chapter 11

Rumia kept her eyes closed as tightly as she possibly could and she held on to Elrohir's back as tight as she possibly could. She had never ridden a horse before and while the idea had seemed exciting at first she was ridiculously afraid now that she was on it.

She had made the mistake of looking down and seeing the fast moving ground beneath her and immediately her stomach felt nauseas.

"Can we slow down?" She whispered burying her face even further into Elrohir's back. She felt a chuckle course through his body.

"We are almost there kitten. Not much further now." He responded in a cool tone. He made a whistling noise to get Elladan's attention. Elladan looked back at his brother and motioned to a clearing that was only a few meters in front of them.

Elrohir nodded in reply and they both urged their steeds into the proper direction. They continued riding for a while before they slowed their horses to a trot.

"Look kitten, we are here." Elrohir's voice cooed from above her.

Rumia cracked one eye open then slowly opened the other when she saw a butterfly pass before her eyes. She felt her eyes go wide when she saw the beauty of the pasture.

Flowers of all shades along with the hums of the bees gave it a very childish vibe that Rumia enjoyed. The trees arched over a specific area of flatland where just a few rays of sunlight were able to pass through. Other than being in Rivendell she had never seen such a naturally beautiful sight.

"It is beautiful." She whispered in awe as she unwound her arms from around Elrohir's waist.

"It is isn't it?" Elladan said in a proud tone as his horse stopped beside his brothers. He easily got himself down then retrieved what looked to be a basket from the side of his horse.

"We found it when we were younger." Elrohir said as he too dismounted from the horse. Rumia sighed when she felt the loss of his warmth. The twin chuckled and he reached for her waist to help her down from the tall steed.

Rumia placed her hands on his broad shoulders and felt her face flush at the contact He brought her down and smoothed the hair out on her head that had been ruffled by the wind. She flushed again at the contact and smiled up at him

"This is here we are going to eat?" She asked looking around. "How did you all find this place?"

"We were in trouble so we ran." Elladan said with a shrug as he walked to the spot where the trees safe gaurded the area.

"I should have known." Rumia mumbled as she followed the brothers to the area. "Why did you both bring me out here today?"

They looked at each other before they both sat down. Elladan to her right and Elrohir to her left the same as always. She let her back lean against the tree trunk and watched as Elladan pulled three pieces of bread from the basket giving one to each of them.

"We just wanted to share this with you." Elorhir said as he to leaned against the tree and Elladan followed suit.

"He is right. We figured that you were probably not going to begin the best of moods after our talk on the bridge."

"So we thought it would be best to take you away for a while so you could see something new." Elrohir finished.

Rumia, smiled at both of them. "You both have been so wonderful to me, everyone has really. No one has really told me that they did not want me here or that I did not belong, except Vanya, even if they felt like it. Now that I think about it I am very happy that I got lost in the woods, otherwise I would not have been able to meet the both of you." She finished chuckling.

"We are happy to. Not that you got lost that is just ridiculous, but the fact that we were able to meet you is nice." Elrohir said looking up at the branches of tree where a bird had just landed.

"He is right. I do not know what we would have done with ourselves if we would have had to put up with the monotony of daily life again." Elladan said with a sigh as he crossed his arms under his head.

Rumia smiled but did not say anything. She let the breeze wash over face. She listened to the rustle of the wind and the chirps of the birds. She felt more at peace then she had in a long while. She did not have to worry about what the other elves would think about her behavior and she was able to let her guard down and be herself.

"Wait a minute." Rumia said sitting up quickly.

"What is wrong?" Elrohir said popping one eye open; he had apparently closed them while he was relaxing.

"The reason that Calanon was angry with me was not my fault but yours!" She said looking at the brothers accusingly.

"Oh?" Elladan questioned looking at her slyly. "And why is that?"

"He said that you both would not stop talking about me." She said looking at them both suspiciously. "So I am left wondering what kind of things you were saying about me."

"We did not say much." Elrohir said with a shrug sitting up on his elbows.

"We just told many of our friends that we had gotten a new kitten and that she had gotten into all sorts of mischief the in the short time that she had come to live with us." Elladan said smirking.

Rumia felt her brow twitch and her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Firstly, I am not an animal nor am I a toy."

"Is that what you think?" Elrohir questioned moving closer to the Haradim girl.

"It is not what I think, it is a fact." She said hissing at him while he continued to smirk at her.

"But you are cute like a kitten." Pointed out Elladan who had moved closer to the girl as well.

"That does not make me an animal." She said turning to face the other brother.

"So that makes you a toy then?" Questioned Elrohir his warm breath hitting the back of her neck. His smirk seemed to grow even wider when he saw that she shivered.

"I am not a toy!" She said twisting her neck to look back at them.

"But you bring us such childlike glee it would almost only make sense if you were a toy." Elladan said.

Rumia shuddered again when she felt his breath hitting the back of her neck this time. It was not going well for her. She was starting to become overwhelmed and the heat the flooded her cheeks was not making it any better. The fact that the brothers kept getting closer also made her breath speed up causing both of them to chuckle, which only made her glare more.

"You are indeed adorable." Elrohir said pushing her down into the soft grass. A gasp left Rumia's lips and her eyes went wide in surprise.

"Let me up!" She said whacking him the chest which caused him to move from on top of her only for his position to be taken up by his brother.

"You are definitely right brother, she is a kitten. A feisty one at that, you can see it in her eyes." Elladan said teasing her.

"Stop making fun of me." She glared hard at brothers.

"We are not teasing." They said simultaneously.

"We both think you are absolutely adorable." Elladan said looking at her seriously.

"No you do not." She mumbled turning her head away from them.

Elladan removed himself from being on top of her and let her sit up.

"And why do you think that?" Elrohir questioned.

Rumia opened her mouth to say something but a quiet squeal left it instead. She was pulled onto Elladan's lap and she felt her face flush even more. Her heart sped up and she swore that she could hear its beating in her ears.

"What were you saying?" Elladan questioned. She could feel his voice rumble through his body and it caused her to flush even more than she had already.

"I will not say that you both do not like me because you have been exposed to such greater beauty already. But I cannot help but feel that eventually, rather it is a day or a week or a month from now, I will not seem so new anymore. Then I will not be as adorable or as entertaining to you." She said sadly.

"You sound like a fool." Elrohir said looking at her plainly. It was probably the most serious expression on his face she had ever seen, and it would probably be the most serious that she would ever see. "If you are our friend, toy, or whatever it is that you wish to be then there is no reason that we should see you as having any less value then you do."

"He his right you know." Elladan said from above her and she craned her neck to look into his eyes while he spoke to her. "It is true that you will of course age, but do not think of our feelings for you to be so shallow that as soon as you start to age that we will abandon you."

Rumia still kept a frown on her face and did not say anything.

"But just because we will not abandon you does not mean we won't comment on the fact that your skin will start to sag." Elrohir said with a wink. "When you're older may I touch your wrinkles?"

"That's repulsive!" Rumia said throwing some grass at him.

"I am also curious to what they would feel like." Elladan mumbled pressing the tip of his finger into the side of her cheek which she puffed out when she felt the finger.

"No you cannot touch my wrinkles." She said moodily then she thought about the implication of the words. "You really think that I would be allowed to stay for that long?"

"Are you planning on leaving?" Elrohir questioned moving to sit next his brother.

Rumia shook her head but stopped when she felt Elladan threading his fingers through her hair, she leaned into the touch.

"I was planning on returning home when the war was over." She said looking past Elrohir not wanting to upset him.

"What if the war is not over in your life time?" Elladan said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Wars last a long time." Elrohir spoke simply. "It does not seem that this one will be ending any sooner than the rest. You also have to remember that the battles that this war has been waged in have not been very large but small, in comparison with others."

"He is right. There has not been a large clash for many years now." Elladan said as he twisted a lock of her hair over his fingers. "This is not simply about taking over a small portion of land. This is about controlling the whole of Middle Earth and in order for that to be done small battles must be won before the large can begin."

"Why does it sound like you will not be participating in the war?" Rumia asked looking at them both curiously.

"Elladan and I will certainly do what we feel is necessary to protect our home and our people, but soon we will not have many to protect." Elrohir said also reaching out to grab a strand of her hair that had become entertainment.

"Why is that?"

"Surely you have noticed how the halls have become empty? The numbers have even dwelled slightly since you're arrival." Elladan said as his finger made a curl in her hair.

Rumia thought back and she did remember how empty the halls seemed to have been and imagine them filled with life and realized that it was one of the major things that Rivendell was lacking, probably the only thing.

"Where are they going?" She questioned curiously.

"To the Gray Havens." Elrohir stated somberly not meeting her eyes as he usually did when he spoke to her. "Many do not wish to stay here with all of this conflict and wish to be with their loved ones. They feel that the time of the Elves is over. And they may be right. We are much more withdrawn then we have been in the past."

"The way you are saying it, it sounds like the Elves are just going to drift out of existence, like they were never really here in the first place." Rumia said thoughtfully. "It is a depressing thought."

"Depressing but a realistic view." Elladan replied.

"Will you both be going to?" She questioned looking down suddenly finding a tuft of grass the most interesting thing in Middle-Earth at the moment.

"Not anytime soon. We have much more to experience." Spoke Elladan.

"And what kind of men would we be to leave you all alone be yourself? You get lost so easily, if we are not here to protect you who knows where you will end up." Elrohir said in a light tone.

"Stop teasing." She said with a slight smile, but she gasped when she felt two pairs of lips, one on each of her cheeks.

The brothers chuckled when she covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment.

"But you are some much fun to tease, kitten." Elladan said with a smirk.

"I do not think that we could stop if we wanted to." Elrohir said with a smirk matching his brothers.


End file.
